Cope
by magdelapetrem
Summary: Numbah Three shares her way of dealing with the war.


Is this a crack fic too? I don't know. I just needed to write.

* * *

Everyone found their way to cope. Whether it be beating the snot out of the putrid enemy or eating their favorite food, each fighter found a way to escape. As Numbah Two sat down to his second sundae drenched in chocolate sauce and Numbah One kick-boxed with Numbah Five, Numbah Four started to hit the punching bag, fists and wrists wrapped tight with cloth. "Uppercut, right hook, jab, jab, cross," he muttered between hits. He chanted his type of strike over and over as he landed them on the canvas sand bag. This – was his way to vent.

No one had seen Numbah Three since she had returned from her latest mission. News and rumors, which were just as good as news around the base, had it that it had been rough. No one was killed, but one was captured. He was classified as M.I.A. right now. Numbah Three had been watching him, and she was taking the loss hard.

Numbah Four hit harder as he thought of the grief Numbah Three was in. The hit resonated throughout the main room of the tree house. Numbah Two looked up. "Geez, Numbah Four, cool it," he teased.

"I'm fine," Numbah Four assured him, slamming the bag with a roundhouse that would even make Blossom cringe.

"You sure?"

"Ya."

Numbah Two gave him a skeptic look but chose not to question it. He went back to his sundae eagerly.

Numbah One, who had been listening in, paused Numbah Five and looked at him with the exact same look Numbah Two had given him. "Numbah Four, what's bothering you?" he inquired, resting his arms on the rope of the boxing ring. The boxing ring had been newly installed when the Invasion began.

This question didn't bother Numbah Four. Since the war started, Sector V had become like a very closely knit family. If one person was agitated, happy, or sad, everyone felt it. Questions that would have been personal before became normal to ask in front of others. You didn't just open up to one person; you opened up to everyone. When Numbah Two and Numbah Five cast their concerned gazes onto him, he knew he had to answer.

"How is Numbah Three dealin' with her last mission?" he asked in return. He stepped back from the bag and took a deep breath. "I heard she was beatin' herself up ova it."

Numbah Five's eyes widened. "Oh. You worried about her?"

Normally Numbah Four would deny this vehemently, but then again, family. He nodded.

"I heard she was in her room. I wouldn't bug her though," Numbah Two informed him.

Numbah Four shrugged. "Think she'd make an exception ta see me?"

Numbah One smiled. "Probably."

Numbah Four returned the smile and turned from his family. "Thanks, guys." With a determined stride, he headed for the elevator.

* * *

Numbah Four didn't know how Numbah Three worked out her anger. When he knocked on her door, he didn't know what to expect. Would she be ripping apart her Rainbow Monkeys? Did she even have those anymore? Or did she just cry to herself? Sleep it off? He didn't have any idea in his fighting-obsessed mind.

He knocked on her door gently. "Come in," Numbah Three's voice said from behind the door. She sounded calm.

The handle twisted easily and Numbah Four pushed the door open. He entered the threshold and shut the door silently. With a deep breath, he faced Numbah Three.

The room was dark. A single candle was lit, but the fire was bright enough to light a small circle around the petite Asian teenager in the room. Her back was to him, spine ramrod straight, and her legs were brought up into a cross-legged position. Her hands rested lightly on her knees, palms down. The candle was scented, and a cinnamon smell drifted through the air.

"Numbah Three?" Numbah Four whispered. He didn't want to fill the room with his voice.

"Yes, Numbah Four?" she replied. She didn't even turn to look at him. Even with her back to him and his only view of her was her lock, pin straight black hair, he knew nothing but her lips had moved, and that her eyes were closed.

"What are ya doin'?"

"Meditating."

"Oh."

A silence fell over them, thick and awkward. "Why did you come to see me?" Numbah Three prompted.

"Oh, uh, yeah," Numbah Four mumbled. "Are ya alright after that last mission?"

Numbah Three didn't answer in what seemed like ten minutes, when in reality it was more like two. Numbah Four shifted while Numbah Three sat in front of him. "Yes," she finally hummed.

"Are ya sure?" Numbah Four pushed.

Numbah Three tilted her head forward, then back again, in a miniscule motion. Numbah Four didn't want to believe her after what he'd heard, but she seemed so serene, he had no choice but to trust her judgment of herself and inch towards the door. "Okay, then. That's all I wanted to know."

Numbah Three brought one hand up: _Wait._ Numbah Four froze.

"Would you like to join me?" Numbah Three offered.

Numbah Four's brow furrowed and he approached her. She shifted so she had her left to him and motioned to the spot in front of her. He took it slowly. She assumed her position again and he mimicked it.

"Try to relax every muscle of your body. Focus on your breathing, and push every thought out of your brain until the only thing you're thinking about is the in and out of your breath," Numbah Three advised. "This may be hard at first, but with practice, it's easy."

Numbah Four followed her instructions and listened to her breathing and how even it was. He tried to make his that nice, but hers was better and he allowed himself to focus on that.

_In._

_Out._

_In._

_Out._

He matched his pace to hers and tried to relax everything in his body.

"Good," Numbah Three cooed.

They sat like this, lost in their own worlds, long enough for Numbah Four's once warm muscles to be completely loose. The scent of cinnamon was their only reminder that the world was still around them. Numbah Four had cooled down and Numbah Three had completely evened out everything in her body when she opened her eyes. Numbah Four sensed the change in alertness in their atmosphere and opened his eyes.

"Good job, Numbah Four," Numbah Three cheered. "You just meditated!"

Numbah Four smiled and tried not to blush. "Yeah, I never thought I'd eva do that," he admitted.

"Isn't it nice and relaxing, though?"

Numbah Four lifted an arm and stretched it while he nodded. Numbah Three stood gracefully, blew out the one candle, and held one hand out to Numbah Four to help him up. Once this was achieved, she headed for the door. "I picked it up from my momma. Whenever she got too stressed, she would meditate. Eventually, I started doin' it."

They exited while Numbah Three kept talking. "Thank you for joining me, Numbah Four. It's been a while since anyone sat with me."

"How long were we like that?"

Numbah Three lifted her overly long sleeve and checked her watch. "Maybe ten minutes?"

"Huh."

"Do you want to do it again sometime?" Numbah Three offered hopefully.

Even if Numbah Four hadn't enjoyed the time spent with her –which he did- he couldn't have denied her eyes. He would have said yes anyway. "Sure."

"Yay! Thank you!"

Numbah Four smiled and ducked his head as they boarded the elevator.

Numbah Four knew how Numbah Three coped after that, and he didn't mind helping her with it.

* * *

Don't own anything yada yada yada.


End file.
